We were lucky to catch up with Mike Lanouar recently and have shared our conversation below.

Mike, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?

So before Becoming a full-time creative business owner, I was a SWAT Detective for 10 years. In that job, I learned many things but the biggest was personal accountability. Owning a mistake out loud but fixing it fast and trying not to repeat it has been a huge benefit. Things happen in this industry and it is very easy to want to point the finger at others so you keep the limelight off of yourself, but with that, you don’t take ownership and it just comes off as excuses, and people see right through that. Take ownership of your mistakes don’t be afraid to admit they happened and grow from them. More often than not, the client loves when you do that and respects you more. With that, work hard to never drop the ball too make sure you pay attention to details, make mistakes few and far between, and never make the same one twice.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Well, to start my name is Michael Lanouar I am a two-time Army Veteran and I was a SWAT Detective for 11 years. I have deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq as a team leader and was a lead detective and lead instructor for the SWAT team. I have been creative all my life and always loved multiple kinds of mediums when it comes to creating stuff. I took a photography class in high school and always had it as a side thing. When I deployed I took a ton of pictures on deployment and everyone loved them and offered to pay me for them. That is where the side hustle started. As I became a cop I would still take pictures and then started to shoot for brands that we used for like rifles and body armor. this got a side thing going.

I then had a life event happen and had to leave police work. I really was dumped and had to figure out an income quickly, so I leaned into growing my photography company. I started reaching out to local companies and finding ways to add value to their companies and sell those ideas. I then started to shoot and grow brands. As I’m doing this I’m learning as I go deep diving into YouTube and never saying no to a project. I then transitioned into creating videos too. Man, I really learned on the fly and was literally watching how-to videos on the way to shoots, But I always paid attention to detail something i learned from the team, and never gave up or quit and owned my mistakes. So with that, I provided an awesome product and really worked hard to make the company grow. I would get so invested in their vision like it were my own.

I then went on Linked In because there is a ton of companies and big brands needing content and I found a CEO (Anthony Mink of Live Bearded) who wanted to start content creation. I really didn’t have a huge background in it but like everything else, I found a way and did my research then applied. The thing that helped me get this client was my ability, to be honest and straightforward with him and not be worried about recourse or being fired. I also had a lot of little things coming in so I was actually already making more than I was as a police officer. I started really diving into marketing and digital marketing because it’s great to make amazing pictures and videos but if you don’t know how the companies can best utilize them then you’re selling your product short. Giving tips on how to use these amazing images helped people see the value in my work and also hire me for more along with telling other people about me. My client was also a marketer so while shooting his content I also kept my ears open and learned as much as I could while shooting.

I am most proud of the fact that in two years of starting this thing, I have now traveled all over the world shooting content, I have about 10 companies I work with providing content and direction for their branding. I also said when I started in 6 months I wanted to be shooting concerts and I was able to do that with an awesome band called Winterhaven.

The thing I want to say about my brand is I will absolutely exceed your expectations as a client and bring more than just a picture or video to your company. I want to work with brands that truly love their products and want to work together to grow. I can give my input but in the end, it’s your vision that I am helping to grow and make a reality. I want people to know I take so much time and care and deep dive so much to make the best possible image and outcome/return on investment. You have a great story and probably an amazing product but without images, video, and marketing no one gets to hear or see that story or brand. That’s what I bring to customers.

Also, one goal I have is to shoot for Redbull one time so any athlete or Redbull person out there look me up!!!!!!

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

While I was a police officer I got in a DUI accident. It changed the course of my life. Something I had worked for and done for over two decades was taken away from me instantly. With that, my income went away my life completely Flipped on my head and with the criminal case I had to dig deep and move past that and not get sucked in that I was a bad person or that my life was over. I really just started to say what is next. What can I do with the other skills I possess? Then it came time to apply them and do so with confidence and make sure that I was putting out such a good product no one would deny me.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

BE HONEST WITH YOUR TEAM. So many times as a boss people don’t want to admit they messed up or were wrong. You as a leader taking ownership of mistakes makes you stronger than you think. Pushing it off and blaming others only makes you look weak and people can see that in you. Also, praise people for doing amazing jobs and give credit where credit is due. If someone has an amazing idea make sure people know they were the ones that had it not you or not just the team but a person. lastly hold high standards and live up to them yourself, always lead from the front, and remember where you came from and how you felt in those people’s positions. Make sure you hold them to a high standard with your product because in the end, your name is on the line too.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.troubledseasmedia.com
• Instagram: @troubled_seas_media.com

Image Credits

MOB Works
Live Bearded
Milmak Blades
Piper
Entitled To Nothing Podcast
Winterhaven Band